1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to concrete screed board apparatuses, and more particularly to screed board apparatuses which include board retaining brackets having pivotable handles attached thereto.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is known by those with ordinary skill in the art, a screed board is used in cement finishing work for leveling freshly poured concrete. If the area of the concrete to be smoothed is relatively narrow, a screed board, which is usually a relatively long, straight board, may be operated by two individuals who place the board on concrete forms and then move it back and forth along the forms to level concrete after it has been freshly poured.
More specifically, as concrete is being poured, substantial care must be taken to level the concrete so that there are no high spots or low areas. When utilizing a screed timber to accomplish this result, a board which is 10 to 16 feet in length is usually used, with the timber being handled by men stooping over with their arms extended downwardly to grasp and move the screed. As can be appreciated, this is a very tiring position, and many cement workers experience back problems in later life. Also, some cement moving to fill voids has to be done by hand, and men have to alternate on this job as it is both physically damaging and tiring. In any event, there has been a recognition of the fact that the use of handles in combination with a screed board apparatus will lessen the physical requirements attendant upon the operators.
A typical use of a handle in combination with a screed is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,897,735 which issued to Alessio on Aug. 4, 1959. In this patent, there is disclosed a screed which includes a pair of upstanding handles rigidly attached to the screed with such handles being operably usable by a single individual. However, as can be appreciated from reviewing the Alessio disclosure, the construction of this handle assembly is such as to permit its use only on small jobs, i.e., with very short length screed timbers inasmuch as its use is designed for only a single operator.
Similiarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,845, which issued to Carrillo on May 22, 1984, discloses a screed board apparatus that includes an upstanding handle assembly to facilitate a use of the screed by a single individual. Again, while a handle assembly which is operably effective for getting an operator off of his knees while finishing concrete is disclosed, neither the handle assembly illustrated in this patent, or the handle assembly priorly discussed, is useful in combination with two-man screeds due to their particular designs. Further, the fixed positioning of the handles in both of these above-discussed patents limits the maneuverability of the single operator, while also limiting his flexibility. Accordingly, the use of these types of handle assemblies will still result in the rapid physical tiring and abuse of an operator.
As such, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for improvements in handle assemblies utilizable with screed boards, and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.